Time Awaits
by MisterGutsy
Summary: Ulysses Brophy. Inmate at a prison who yearns to see his wife and children once more. After an encounter with Father Time, his wish is a reality.


There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.

Ulysses Brophy used to be your average man. He had a job, a family and children but that all changed when they all died in an amusement park accident. Now Brophy is nothing more than an empty shell of a man, he is the kind of man who yearns for the old days when life was perfect.

Ulysses now resides at the big house after having killed the park's owners, who he saw responsible for the deaths of his family. For the most part he's a quiet inmate, having long accepted that this shall be his fate for the rest of his life. However Ulysses is unaware that not everything is what it seems. Ulysses has discovered a pathway to the Twilight Zone.

Ulysses' cell door opens and he gets up with excitement for it is the one time of the day that he enjoys. A guard standing by the door shook his head to indicate our fellow inmate that it was time for recreational activities.

By the next hour all the inmates were standing outside in the courtyard doing various activities and talking to each other but our protagonist doesn't talk with any of them, he doesn't even stay around them. He is considered different for this reason, the only quiet person in a place full of the scum of our world.

Ulysses finishes his usual 10 laps around the prison track; he sits down at a bench resting himself when he notices a man standing closely outside of the prison fence. He is a man who appears to be trying to catch his youth again as he is wearing young people's clothes though he has angelic white hair and a large beard of the same color. He is looking at our lonely inmate. Ulysses notices this too and slowly walks towards the fence.

He gets to the fence and the man asks him "How goes life Ulysses?"

Ulysses is taken aback at this man who knows his name. He has never seen this man in his life.

"How do you know my-"Ulysses begins but he is interrupted.

"Ulysses Damian Brophy, age 39, born August 10 1975 in Houston, Texas. Convicted of first degree murder, sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole, and has been an inmate for 11 years. Am I correct so far Mr. Brophy?" finishes the man.

"Why yes but- how-who… who are you?" sputters Ulysses.

The man looks at a large golden watch on his arm as if seeing if he's late for a meeting, he puts the arm down and looks back up at Ulysses.

"My name is Robert Time Mr. Brophy," he answers.

"Robert Time?" Ulysses asks as if unsure he had heard him right.

"Yes that is my name Mr. Brophy," says the man nodding his head.

"And how do you know all of those things about me?" asks Ulysses.

"Oh I keep track of everyone Mr. Brophy, in fact I know much more about you. I know that almost every night you wake up at precisely 2:30, the time when you committed the murder of the amusement park owner who you held responsible for your family's death. I know that you fantasize about seeing them once more and I can help with this Mr. Brophy,"

Ulysses looked around quickly to see if they were being watched. None of the other people seemed to notice either him or the strange man. Ulysses turned around with a curious look in his eyes.

"How so?" he asked with excitement.

"Well let's just put it this way Mr. Brophy, you yearn to see your wife and children again, correct?" he asks.

Ulysses nodded his head.

"Well I have a, how do you say… the power to let you see them again one last time to give you full disclosure of them. If you were to agree I could take you back to see them." The man said.

Ulysses paced around thinking about it in his head. He turned back towards the man.

"This all seems too good to be true, what's the catch?" he asks.

"Oh no, no. No catch, just one last day with your loved ones then you must say good-bye to them forever. No less, no more. What do you say to it Mr. Brophy?"

"Well I would like to see them again… I don't know…" he said. Just then Ulysses could hear the guards shouting, recreation had ended. As all the prisoners walked back Ulysses hurriedly talked to the man.

"I'll have to think about, will you be here tomorrow?"

"Of course Mr. Brophy,"

"Well then I'll give you my answer tomorrow, goodbye Robert." He said.

"See you tomorrow Mr. Brophy,"

That night, Ulysses was wide-awake in bed. He would obviously say yes to the chance to see his family again but he didn't want to see them one more time, no he would use that one day to try and save them no matter what. Eventually he fell asleep.

That night, Ulysses dreamed about his family. About seeing them alive and well, his children playing in a field while he sat on a hill holding hands with his wife. And that night Brophy didn't have a nightmare.

The next day Ulysses almost ran to the fence where he had talked to the man yesterday. T rue to his word, Robert was standing there patiently.

"It looks like you've been there all night long," he told him.

"Oh it was no time to me at all really, so what is your answer Mr. Brophy?"

"I say yes to your proposition Mr. Time." He said almost trembling with anticipation.

"Well good, good. Your one last day begins…now." With that, Robert tapped his watch trice and the effect was immediate. All around him Ulysses could see the scenery changing and events happening as though backwards, his own clothes changed from a prison jumpsuit to a striped shirt and jeans. Then everything started to slow down until Ulysses saw that the scenery had changed completely. They were now standing outside of the house where he had used to live.

"Well there it is Ulysses, we have traveled 11 years into the past, enjoy your day." He said ominously.

"Thank you Mr.-"but as Ulysses turned there was no one. He cleared his throat and walked forward towards the house, the sun was rising in the distance. A sign of a new day. Ulysses remembered how his son got up early in the morning to catch the cartoons while his daughter stayed in bed sleeping; he wondered if that's what they were doing now.

He stopped at the front porch staring at the doorbell. He was trembling and sweating all over his body. He reached out his hand (which was so covered in water, you'd had thought it was raining) and pressed the doorbell. He heard someone walking to the door, then:

"Who is it?" asked the voice of a young boy. All of the hairs on Ulysses' neck stood straight, it was the voice of his son, Timmy. Ulysses was now shaking terribly.

"Timmy? It's me, Daddy, I'm-I'm home." He said with a withered voice. The door immediately opened and Ulysses was staring down at a Caucasian boy with brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"Hi Daddy! What are you doing out there?" he asked curiously.

"Oh Timmy! Come here!" he said, he embraced his son with both arms and picked him up. Timmy laughed loudly.

"Not so hard Daddy!" he said barely able to stop himself from laughing. Then Ulysses could hear someone talking from upstairs.

"Timmy who's down there?" asked a female voice.

"It's just Daddy Jessica!" answered Timmy.

He could hear someone coming down the stairs until Ulysses was staring at his daughter. She was tall, skinny and her hair was dyed purple. Before he and her spent most of their time arguing over such things as boys, skin modifications and such but now Ulysses wanted none of it.

"Jessica!" said Ulysses and he ran forward and picked her up, carrying her around the living room while she yelled at him and slapped his back. He put her down.

"Dad what is up with you this morning? You act like you haven't seen us in years!" she said angrily.

"I haven't!" said Ulysses. His face was now full of tears then he saw his wife silently coming down the stairs. Her chocolate brown hair was messy and she looked tired but she was smiling. Ulysses ran forward, grabbed her face and kissed her. Her eyes became wide open but she eventually closed them and returned the kiss. Ulysses could hear Jessica snorting with disgust and Timmy ran around the living room saying: "Mommy and Daddy kissed!"

The day passed on and Ulysses spent it as though it was his last. He played ball with Timmy, took Jessica to the mall to do shopping with her, and gave his wife presents of flowers. At noon Ulysses walked into his son's room, he was putting on different clothes.

"Why are you changing Timmy?" he asked.

"We're going to the amusement park Daddy, remember?" he said.

Ulysses blood turned to ice and it was a few moments before he answered his son.

"No Timmy we're not going." He said gravely.

"We're not!? But-but why?" his son said sadly.

"Because we're not Timmy, ok?" he said.

Timmy ran crying to his mother and told her what Ulysses had said. She stormed angrily into Timmy's room.

"Why aren't we going?" she asked calmly. Ulysses thought for a moment before deciding that he couldn't tell her why.

"Because I said so honey, ok? So we're not going!" he said.

"No forget that! We've been planning this for over 2 weeks and you just decide that we're not!?" she yelled at him.

"Yes is there a problem with it?" he said in a raised voice.

"Why yes there is, you can't just say no whenever you feel like it!"

"Well I am now and that's the final word!"

"No it is not. If you don't want to, then I'll take them!" she said angrily. Ulysses panicked.

"Come on kids we're going to the amusement park!" his wife said.

She led them outside to the car and Ulysses followed closely trying to stop his wife. The neighborhood children were outside playing and all of the adults in the neighborhood were talking amongst each other.

His wife got to the car door but Ulysses pushed her hand away from the handle and blocked the door.

"Ulysses get out of the way." She said in a low voice.

"No." he said firmly.

"Ulysses move!" she yelled and she started to push him away eventually hitting him with her purse. The adults and children all stopped what they were doing and watched. She kept on hitting him and Ulysses yelled out.

"Stop it you crazy bitch!" he yelled then he slapped her across the face with such force that she fell to the floor. His mind then froze. He could hear Jessica yelling 'you monster!' Timmy crying out for his mother, the mothers in the neighborhood hastily taking their children home and then all of the fathers tackled Ulysses.

They called the police and Ulysses was arrested for the day. His wife had taken Timmy and Jessica to the amusement park meanwhile. Ulysses paid attention to nothing else; he was shocked at what he had done.

Hours later he was sitting still in his cell when 2 officers came into his cell. He looked up.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Brophy we thought we should inform you." The one on the right said in a grim voice.

"Inform me of what?" he said in an uninterested voice, "Are you arresting me for assault?"

"Mr. Brophy, your wife and children… their dead," he said.

Ulysses looked up.

"What?!" he said in a panicked voice.

"They died in an amusement park accident a few minutes ago, I'm so sorry. You're free to go." He said.

But Ulysses didn't leave. He fell to the floor crying.

"No, NO!" he yelled punching the floor. The officers tried to pick him up but he wouldn't allow them. He stayed in the cell crying for the rest of the day.

Soon the clock struck midnight and Ulysses was still on the floor sobbing. He heard footsteps and looked up to see a bearded man wearing a purple cloak.

"You," he said.

"Yes, I Mr. Brophy." He replied.

"You-you brought me this!" Ulysses yelled out in anger.

"Quite the contrary Mr. Brophy, you see you believed you could cheat me and change the past. That cannot be done Mr. Brophy as the past must flow as it always has"

"But-but you gave me a chance Robert! You gave me a chance to save them!"

"No no, you are mistaken Ulysses. I gave you a chance to see them again, I never said they'd live. For the past must remain as it is Mr. Brophy." He said calmly.

"And you think I'm just going to accept that!? No I was supposed to save them you bastard!" he yelled again.

An officer came forward to the cell.

"Who are you talking to Ulysses?" he asked.

"I'm talking to Robert there, he's responsible for all of this!" he said angrily.

"Err, you're talking to Robert?" he asked as if unsure he had heard him correctly.

Robert looked down at Ulysses.

"You will be taken back to your time in a few minutes Mr. Brophy, we will never see nor talk to each other again. Goodbye Ulysses," and with that, Robert disappeared.

"No don't you leave!" yelled out Ulysses.

"Jeez this guy is crazy" muttered the cop.

Ulysses now spends the rest of his days not in an orange jumpsuit in jail but in a straight jacket in a padded room. Those who have seen him say he never got over his family's death and that he blames it on a man named "Robert".

Ulysses Brophy, age 39, a man without any loved ones who now resides at a mental hospital having been beaten by the force of time. Time, the element that drives the world. The thing that is hoped to be the source of a better life and that which will eventually bring all men down. Ulysses was just one of many of its victims who thought that he could overcome it but men shall never win over this force. Not in real life, not in a different planet and especially not here, in the Twilight Zone.


End file.
